Clutch



Sept. 5, 1939.

R. BERINGER CLUTCH Filed Nov. 13, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Bnventor .Patented Sept.J 5, 1939 NITED STATES CLUTCH Roscoe ger, Detroit, Mich., i M. i to eral Motors orporation, Detroit, e a corporation o1' Delaware Application November 13, i937, No. llifitl This invention relates to clutches and has been .designed for use in motor'vehicles between the engine shaft and the transmission shaft.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel form of clutch which shall be as free as possible from chatter. The provision of cushioning means on both sides ofthe driven plate constitutes a related and specic object.

Another and important object is the economy k'resulting from the use of less and cheaper material and in the reduction of spinning inertia, these characteristics beingmade possible partly because of the kind of clutch spring which'is used.

A smi further eject is the simple and reisewely inexpensive provision for preventing transmisvsion of vibrations; the particular expedient having a vibration period higher than is generally used. I

Other objects and advantages will appear from .the following description.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanyclutch and longitudinally through the shafts, the

section being marked by line l--I of Figure 5. Figure 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Figure 5. Figure 3 is a section online 3 3 of Figure 5.-

. Figure 4 is a section corresponding to that of Figure 1 but showing a simpler form.

, Figure 5 is a view in elevation from the right lside of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a view in elevation of the driven plate.

Figure 'l is an edge view ofk the driven plate shown by Figure 6. v

. Referring by reference characters to the drawings, numeral ii is used to represent lthe engine shaft and I3 is the transmission shaft piloted into the end of shaft il by suitable bearings l5. The engine shaft has secured thereto .by fastening means Il, a ywheel I9. to which is secured a cover 2i as at 23. This cover may be very sim- -ply and economically made from strip stock shaped as shown, rolled into-circular form and with its mating edges welded together. The pressure plate forgripping the driven plate -between itself and the flywheel ismarked 25. `A plurality of bolts 2l having eyes 29 are pivotedto the pressure plate by pins 3l. The bolts extend through openings 33 in the cover plate. Levers 35 are pivoted to the cover 2|. For this purpose the cover is formed with openings 31 for the passage of the levers and on each side of each opening the material of the cover is Voppositely bent as at 39 and 4l to receive and support pivot pins d3 which pins pass through openings lt in the side walls of the U-shaped levers 35. At its outer end each lever is depressed to seat a rounded nut il threaded on the eye bolt as shown by Figure 1.

(CIL 19H8) The levers extend radially inward to apoint near shaft I3 where they are engaged by a reciprocable throwout'collar de. Each lever also has an opening Si for-the pe of a loop at the end of a coil spring 53. A cutter pin 55 passes through the loop and retains the spring in position rela.- tively to the lever. 'lhe other end of the spring is tangentlally extended, its extremity being p rojected into a hole 5l bored into the pressure plate. When the clutch is engaged, this spring keeps the inner end of the lever from noisy engagement with the collar 68.

The operat spring for the clutch takes the form of an annulus of spring steel which in its unstressed condition is slightly bowed into the form of a Belleville Washer. This spring is marked on the drawings by numeral 59. When the clutchcis') engaged the spring is somewhat flattened. it exerts pressure on the pressure plate along the inner margin of the annulus as at 6l. The reaction of the force transmitted to the pressure plate is along the circle of contact between the outer margin of the annulus and the cover plate. this region being marked 63. The spring is positioned by lugs extending outwardly from the outer margin and inwardly from the inner gin. These lugs may'also transmit the driving torque between the flywheel cover plate and the pressure plate. Lugs vextend from the spring and engage openings 6l in the cover. Lugs 69 extend inwardly 'and engage notches H formed by lugs on the pressure plate. In its simplest form, the invention may employ a driven plate such as is shown by Figure 4. In this embodiment a hub 133 is splined on the driven shaft i3. To the hub is fastened by rivets l'l an inner driven ringl. To this inner ring near its outer margin 'are secured a plurality of segmental plates 19, these plates carrying riveted thereto linings 8i and 83. The segmental plates are shaped and secured as best shown by' Figure 6. The segments have'inner tabs-Sifastenedl by rivets 81 to ring 15. Each segment is formed with oppositely directed offset regions. The midportlon of a segment is osetto one side (axially of the clutch) and one nmng member is secured to the oifset region by radially spaced rivets 89. The portions on either side of the mid portion are offset to the other side of the plane of the segment and to these odset regions the lining is secured by rivets si and 93. The angular regions such as connect the oppositely offset portions. It will be understood that when the clutch is engaged the whole segment is pressed into the form of a plane, and by this action smooth clutch en-r gageinent is eiected. v

Instead of directly securing ring l5 to the hub as in Figure 4 its equivalent l5' may be secured t0 the hub as in Figure 1. .In/this ligure the hub 13 is splinecl upon shaft I3. It has a radial iiange 91 and diametrically opposite axial notches 99. Plate 'l5' surrounds the hub but is not locked thereto. On each side of plate 'l5' are 3 flat spring tines 99. These tines are shaped as shown in Figure 5 and arev held in position axially on the hub by the ange 91 and by a lock ring |0|. Each of these tines extends diametrically to a position adjacent the margin of plate 'l5'. At the -middle of its length it is of circular outline and surrounds the hub |3. It is formed with diametrically opposite lugs |03 which are received within the notches 99'. fIhe outer ends of the tines are secured to plate 'I5' by bolts |05. Each bolt has a shoulder |01 adjacent its head upon which shoulder are received three of the ends of the spring tines. A shouldered washer |01 adjacent the nut |09 receives the other three tines. The plate 'l5' is itself received on the bolt |05 between its shoulder and the,washer |01. In this form of the invention rivets 81 Asecure the same distorted segmental plates as' before described to the plates 'I5'. The spring tines 99 are shaped to have as nearly as possible uniform stresses. Theyalso have a higher frequency than somewhat analogous expedients have had whereby they may be more eiective in absorbing vibratory periods.

The above-described constructionis intended to attain theseveral objects of invention enumerated above.

The provision of the oisets onboth sides ofl the segmental plates will be more eiTective in eliminating chatter than in prior constructions having offsets on the pressure plate side only.-

Since it is impractical to make the flywheel'face perfectly flat, driven plates with no cushioning on the flywheel side are likely to have a bodily longitudinal movement which movement causes chatter. Cushioning on both sides sintended to overcome this fault. Since the clutch spring pressure is distributed upon the pressure plate as it is, it is foundpossible to make the driven plate of less and cheaper material. The segments have low stresses and low carbon steel will be a satis. factory material. Such material is cheaper, more readily available and more economical to shape. Since there is but a singleseries of segments constituting the outer part of the driven plate less weight is involved than in those clutch installations where a double plate is used. 'I'he reduction of weight results in a reduced spinning inertia. Such a construction also facilitates transmission synchronism. It may also be mentioned. that a coned annular clutch spring such as spring 59 may have a substantially zero rate with the'result that the resilient reaction on the pedal when the clutch is being released ries but little throughout the whole range of movement. AThe high frequency insulator constituted by the assembly of spring tines constitutes a marked improvement over other devices heretofore used for damping out vibratory movements. The simple expedient forlocking the spring tines to the hub is t0 be noted. 'Ihe location of the anchoring points may be so selected as to control the characteristics of the vibration eliminator.

I claim:

' 1. In a clutch, a driven plate, said plate comprising a hub, an inner ring, means to secure said inner rig to said hub, a plurality of segmentshaving tabs secured to the outer margin of said inner ring, each segment having portions parallel to each other and offset on opposite sides of a middle plane, and friction facings secured to said oiset portions, said inner ring securing means comprising a plurality of spring tines,

said tines having a midlength part of circular outline surrounding and anchored to said hub and parts extending diametrically from said hub and terminally secured to the outer margin of said inner ring. i

2. In a clutch, a driven plate,said plate comprising a hub, an inner ring, means to secure said innner ring to said hub, a plurality of segments having tabs secured to the outer margin of said inner ring, each segment having portions parallel to each other and oiset on opposite sides of a middle plane, and friction facings secured to said offset portions, said inner ring securing means comprising a plurality of overlapping spring tines, said tines extending diametrically in opposite directions from central circular portions which surround and are anchored to said hub, the ends of said spring tines being terminally secured to the outer margin of said inner ring.

3. In a clutch, a driven plate, said plate comprising a hub, an inner ring, means to secure said inner ring to said hub, a plurality of segments having tabs secured to the outer margin of said inner ring, each segment having portions parallel to each other and odset on opposite sides of a'middle plane, and friction facings secured to said offset portions, said inner ring securing means comprising a plurality of spring tines, each of said tines having a midlength part of circular outline surrounding and anchored to said hub and parts extending diametrically from said hub terminally secured to the outer margin of said inner ring, there being a plurality of said spring tines on each side of said inner ring.

4. In a clutch, a ywheel, a cover secured thereto, a driven plate and a pressure plate Within said cover, a coned spring annulus engaging said pressure plate along one of its circular margins and yieldingly pressing said pressure plate toward said iiywheel to thereby grip the driven plate, said cover serving asa reaction abutment and engaging the cone spring annulus, along its other circular margin, said spring annulus being circumferentially continuous between its regions of engagement with the pressure plate and cover, said cover having an axial extension having openings formed therein, radially extending levers projected through said openings and pivoted to the cover adjacent said openings, means connecting the outer ends of said levers to said pressure plate and means to operably engage the inner ends of said levers.

5. lIn a clutch. a ywheel, a cover secured thereto, a driven plate and a pressure plate within said cover, a coned spring annulus engaging said pressure plate along one of its circular margins and yieldingly pressing said pressure plate toward said flywheel to thereby grip the driven plate, said cover serving as a reaction abutment and engaging the cone spring annulus along its other circular margin, said cover having an axial extension having openings formed therein, radially extending levers projected through said openings and pivoted to the cover adjacent said openings, means connecting the outer ends of said levers to said pressure plate and means to operably engage the inner ends of said levers, said coned spring having lugs extending from its margins to interlock with said cover and said pressureplate, the connecting means between the levers and the pressure plate extending through openings in the c over.

i ROSCOE BERINGER.. 

